{"id":1215,"date":"2026-04-08T06:58:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T06:58:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/facthubafrica.com\/?p=1215"},"modified":"2026-04-08T06:58:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T06:58:14","slug":"why-we-dismissed-soja-boy-army","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/facthubafrica.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/08\/why-we-dismissed-soja-boy-army\/","title":{"rendered":"Why we dismissed Soja Boy \u2013 Army"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Nigerian Army has refuted a report that its dismissed\u00a0 Ex- Lance Corporal Rotimi Olamilekan, popularly known as \u2018Soja Boi\u2019, for allegedly telling the truth<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Olamilekan had in an interview circulating on social and traditional media made allegations regarding welfare, remuneration and the provision of uniforms and protective equipment for Nigerian Army personnel.<\/p>\n

However, Acting Director Army Public Relations Colonel Appolonia Anele in a statement Tuesday made available to journalists in Abuja, said Mr. Olamilekan was not dismissed for \u201cspeaking the truth\u201d or expressing opinions on political leadership.<\/p>\n

According to her, he was dismissed following persistent and grave acts of indiscipline, including violations of the Armed Forces Social Media Policy.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike all professional militaries, the Nigerian Army operates under a strict Code of Conduct and the Armed Forces Act. Unauthorised media appearances, commercialisation of military identity, partisan content creation and misuse of military uniform constitute clear breaches of established regulations.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis dismissal followed due process in line with military laws,\u201d she said<\/p>\n

On the issue of remuneration, she said the Nigerian Army operates a well-structured and transparent salary system, where earnings are determined by rank and years of service, as clearly stipulated in the Manual of Financial Administration for\u00a0 Armed Forces of Nigeria (MAFA).<\/p>\n

\u201cFurthermore, troops deployed on operations or assigned to duties outside their units receive Ration Cash Allowance, Habit Allowance, in addition to free feeding arrangements. Personnel serving in operational theatres, such as Operation HADIN KAI in the North East, are also paid operational allowances and other mission-specific entitlements designed to support their welfare and enhance operational effectiveness.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe portrayal of soldiers as receiving no additional benefits beyond basic salary is therefore misleading and inaccurate,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She added that the claim that soldiers are required to purchase uniforms and protective equipment, including bulletproof vests and helmets, is entirely false.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Nigerian Army prioritises the welfare, safety, and force protection of its personnel.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe provision of uniforms, kits, arms, ammunition, and operational gear is an institutional responsibility executed through established logistics systems.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDedicated ordnance units oversee the procurement, storage, and issuance of these items to ensure troops are adequately equipped for operations.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhile some personnel may choose to supplement issued kits based on personal preference and comfort, such actions are voluntary and do not indicate any systemic failure.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe assertion that troops operate without protective gear is not only false but also reckless, as it undermines public confidence and troop morale.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She added on for the avoidance of doubt, no soldier is deployed to an operational theatre without the necessary protective equipment.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cClaims that such gear is only issued during ceremonial visits are deliberate falsehoods intended to mislead the public.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Nigerian Army remains committed to the highest standards of discipline, accountability, and troop welfare. Operational decisions regarding postings and deployments are guided strictly by strategic and operational requirements,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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The Nigerian Army has refuted a report that its dismissed\u00a0 Ex- Lance Corporal Rotimi Olamilekan, popularly known as<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1216,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[169],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro"],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/facthubafrica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/headquarters-Nigeria-army.-1.png",350,250,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/facthubafrica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/headquarters-Nigeria-army.-1-300x250.png",300,250,true],"medium":["https:\/\/facthubafrica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/headquarters-Nigeria-army.-1-300x214.png",300,214,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/facthubafrica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/headquarters-Nigeria-army.-1.png",350,250,false],"large":["https:\/\/facthubafrica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/headquarters-Nigeria-army.-1.png",350,250,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/facthubafrica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/headquarters-Nigeria-army.-1.png",350,250,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/facthubafrica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/headquarters-Nigeria-army.-1.png",350,250,false],"morenews-large":["https:\/\/facthubafrica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/headquarters-Nigeria-army.-1.png",350,250,false],"morenews-medium":["https:\/\/facthubafrica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/headquarters-Nigeria-army.-1.png",350,250,false]},"author_info":{"info":["Publisher"]},"category_info":"Metro<\/a>","tag_info":"Metro","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/facthubafrica.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/facthubafrica.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/facthubafrica.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facthubafrica.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facthubafrica.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1215"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/facthubafrica.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1215\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1217,"href":"https:\/\/facthubafrica.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1215\/revisions\/1217"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facthubafrica.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/facthubafrica.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facthubafrica.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facthubafrica.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}